drx proto FAQ
Last Update: 2/22 7:30PM EST New Sonic 3 stuff!

I felt maybe we could have a colaborative FAQ so the same questions aren't beeing repeatedly asked on the irc and in the forum topic. This also makes it easier for the people who haven't read through the current 23 pages. If you have any additions post or pm them to me, or a mod/admin can add them if I miss them.

Last Update: 2/22 6:50pm EST
When will they be released?This Saturday at 6PM EST, 11PM GMT. There will be a skypcast event starting an hour prior to the release. Skypecast Thread

Why can't I have them now?There are many many prototypes to be released. Most of them have to be build from EPROM parts. There are many weird formats for them. So while a single ROM is done rather quickly, when you get to hundreds, it is very time-consuming. [reworded by drx]

Why are the roms in EPROM parts?They were originally intended for an EPROM burner. They need to be interleaved and recombined in order to produce a working ROM image. (Thanks Gerbil)

Can I have the source code?There is no source code on any of the discs. (Thanks Tweaker)

How will the prototypes be released?The main release will be via bittorrent for anybody to download. After people get them downloaded I'm sure many mirrors will show up.
What prototypes will drx release?
There are hundreds of prototypes, there are many Sonic and SEGA related ones, but there are also many from 3rd party developers. They are for various consoles including Game Gear, Genesis, 32X, Pico, SegaCD, Saturn, Dreamcast, Gamecube.

Where did drx get these prototypes?
Most of them are from one source which are on multiple discs containing 1994-1995 archives from SOA. This does not mean that games are only from 1994-1995.

Why are there third party protos on a SOA archive?"Also as for why third party games are in the collection, I believe drx stated that these were SOA's testing archives, as in, these are all the games handed to testers, so presumably some companies outsourced their testing to SEGA." -thanks Qjimbo (only because he bitched that I forgot to include him :P )

Got pics of the carts?
There are no carts, these are archives from SOA.

There are multiple versions of Sonic 3?Sonic 3A: The original release. We've all played this. Also known as "Sonic 3 part 1."Sonic 3B: The lockon release. We've also played this. Originally known as "Sonic 3 part 2," and later changed to "Sonic & Knuckles."Sonic 3C: This. A full, pre-locked on version of Sonic 3 with everything in it. This is what you'd be able to play from locking on both parts of Sonic 3, and was meant to be distributed on a 3MB cartridge along with the other two releases. However, this never saw the light of day—until now, anyway.
(tweaker)

what videos have been posted of the prototypes?Sonic 3C 0517Sonic 3C 0408
Will there be any Chaotix Protos for the Genesis?No, you will most likely never see any sort of chaotix/crackers proto on the Genesis. Crackers was a tech demo, just a proof of concept, that the whole ring band thing could work in a game, and right after crackers development of the game for the 32X began.
Can I make a naming scheme for these prototypes?No, drx has stated there is already a naming scheme so don't bother wasting your time.

That's a lot of prototypes how much did it cost?It cost a five digit number that hasn't been revealed, and really that's drx's personal business so no need to bug him about it.

It cost what!? Does he need help paying it back?Yes! You can donate by contacting him by sending a PM on the forums here, or possibly contacting him on the irc channel.

If I donate do I get the protos early?No.

-also thank you Tweaker for putting this thread in the prototype forum.

To clarify (bug you with some forgotten questions) 1) Are the downloads going to be ftp based, a torrent, or both, because with the obvious popularity of this find, and the overwhelming number of files, things might get a little clogged on whatever ftp server they are uploaded to. 2) Seeing as these are protos that may attract a lot of attention, and n00bs from the digg page will be asking dumb questions not already covered by this faq, should this be kept off digg, and 3) There is going to be an awful lot of activity not only here, but on the sonic cult and hpz too, should there be a members priority connection to the ftp server (if that is possible) if the roms are distributed in that fashion.

when the torrent first goes live, will there be one seeder (himself) or will he release it a bit beforehand to certain people whom he trusts or what ever, so that way 10 billion people don't try to download from one seed?

im pretty sure drx wouldnt leave us hanging, he will probably release binaries, unless some people personally request source, then they will probably get an exclusive download or something similar btw, lol im using up so many posts